Reference Documents
Documents shared on this page may be used as reference documents for the VOE-Network Lean White Belt Certification Class and for developing your staff and leadership team knowledge on specific topics.
We invite al members to contribute their articles and publications to this resource for all members to share.
We invite al members to contribute their articles and publications to this resource for all members to share.
All material contained in this website is the property of the author or organization and permission to reprint or use the material must be obtained in writing by the author or organization.
The Importance of Standard Work (2017, Rush, Envigo)
Standard work is the foundation for all improvements, yet some feel it restricts creativity and ingenuity and doesn't respect the worker. Some treat Standard Work as a "suggestion" allowing for personal interpretation and drift takes over. Before you know it, quality plummets and you find yourself in regulatory compliance quicksand. Our friends at Envigo have submitted a compelling example of how Standard Work can improve quality and reduce errors; ultimately reducing costs, accelerating science and maintaining regulatory compliance. |
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Visual Controls and Displays (2016, Rush, Envigo)
Simple techniques can yield powerful results. Envigo's Steven Rush walks us through a simple but effective use of Visual Controls and process changes that can have a profound impact on employee productivity. Most importantly, the employees are involved and empowered to make changes that impact their work and the customer. |
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Value Stream Mapping (2015, Fuller, MGH)
Value Stream Mapping (or Process Flow Mapping) is a valuable tool to help your staff "see" their work in linear form. When the sequential steps in a process are mapped out end-to-end by a team, redundancies, irregularities, assumptions and disconnects emerge and become abundantly clear. This overview introduces vivarium staff to this powerful tool that encourages discussion in a simple way. For assistance with VSMs or PFMs, contact any member in the member directory. |
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Lego Training: Using Legos as a training tool for Lean Concepts
In this module, the familiar childhood building blocks become building blocks of knowledge and insights for teams. Understanding the power of team feedback and collaborative decisions quickly amplify the perils of silo thinking. |
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Lego Training: Using "Visual SOPs" to accomplish what words cannot. This process demonstrates how visual instructions can simplify and clarify an otherwise confusing technical process. Visual SOPs are most powerful when dealing with visual learners, ESL in the workplace and when interpretation spawns defects. Visual SOPs are ALWAYS developed and agreed to by those who need to rely on them, not by managers who think they know the answer. Managers are always engaged in the check-in and approval process, but "finding the best way" is always left up to the worker.
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Cracking the Cage Flow Problem (2015, Dr Sai Tummala, OMRF)
Cage-wash is the backbone of every vivarium and often dictates the flow of work throughout the vivarium. Cage wash is also one of the bottlenecks where waste is headquartered and husbandry schedules can suffer. Understanding how to identify the surges and starvation of the flow of cages throughout the facility enables the manager and staff to eliminate uncertainty and to increase efficiency of your team. |
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The A3 Problem Solving Report: A 10-Step Scientific
Method to Execute Performance Improvements in an Academic Research Vivarium (2013 Bassuck & Washington): by permission of Ida Washington The purpose of this study was to illustrate the application of A3 Problem Solving Reports of the Toyota Production System to our research vivarium through the methodology of Continuous Performance Improvement, a lean approach to healthcare management at Seattle Children’s (Hospital, Research Institute, Foundation). |
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Iterative Development of Visual Control Systems in a Research Vivarium
(2014, Bassuk & Washington); by permission of Ida Washington The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that reintroduction of Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) methodology, a lean approach to management at Seattle Children’s (Hospital, Research Institute, Foundation), would facilitate engagement of vivarium employees in the development and sustainment of a daily management system and a work-in-process board. |
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"Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System" (1999, Spear & Bowen); by permission of Dr. Steven Spear, MIT.
This Shingo-winning paper clearly untangles the mystery and demonstrates power of Toyota's problem-solving capability, otherwise known as the Toyota Production System. From actual experience gained at working on a Toyota assembly line, Spear & Bowen decode the unspoken culture into 4 simple rules that are followed relentlessly. Dr. Spear has been a guest in the vivarium at MGH and has assisted Boston's Franklin Park Zoo in starting a Lean Program to optimize Zoological Husbandry & Operations. |
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"Toyota is not Lean" (2014; Dunn)
Lean and Six Sigma are powerful project-focused tools for improving efficiency, but the true horsepower of the Toyota Production System lies in it's culture. This paper is a companion to "Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System", further explaining the Toytoa culture. We discover the inherent limitations of Lean and Six Sigma and the missing TPS link: "empowering employees to continually explore their workplace and make rapid decisions and process improvements as close as possible to where the work is being done". |
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